So part of what I talked about before, when I mentioned a little bit about the revision process for Argentum, was the idea that I should change the story’s verb tense. Writing in first person with a present tense is somewhat challenging because the main character can have that “deer in headlights” perspective. At some point I got very annoyed with Sophie because I felt like I was screaming at her, “How can you be that stupid?”

Well, the story has changed slightly in the second draft, but not just for that reason. As many of you know, I’ve been researching what I need to do to get the book published. Part of what my research turned up, is that even though I’m planning this as a series, there isn’t a guarantee that a publisher will sign an author for multiple books. Because of that, this first book needs to stand on its own, in case someone says – “Well, let’s see how people like the first one.”

Admittedly, I had planned to end Argentum on a “very” big cliffhanger. I only provided you about two-thirds of the first draft on this website, which offered you a taste of the setting and my writing style. That cliffhanger left a lot of questions unexplored and unanswered, and I realized that didn’t work for a stand-alone book.

To work around that, I’m revising Argentum as the story within a story. Serafina “aka Sophie” will be on trial for regicide, the murder of King Mitra. The current king (King Horem who is a nature-based god) sets up the trial for a chapter or two and discovers that there is something very wrong with the Serafina they thought they captured. The story that Serafina relays will then stand on its own, for that turns into her testimony. The “pieces” are actually her memories before the Alchemists stripped them from her mind.

By writing Serafina’s story that way, I can change the tense and (hopefully) keep your curiosity piqued because now, you know that King Mitra dies and you’re not sure whether or not she committed the murder. Once her testimony ends, the story will pick up and resolve some looming questions. There will still be a little bit of a cliffhanger, but not enough to leave you wondering if the story will ever continue. In other words, the book will stand on its own or can be continued, regardless of what happens when I start shopping around for a publisher.

Well, have to finish up some other paid projects today so I can get back to revisions. Still need to change my word count on the front page, I lost track about halfway through because I’ve been rolling through the edits.

Thanks again for your emails and your comments, I am very grateful for your support.